(CNN) – When it comes to finding ways to reduce the federal debt, Sen. Ted Cruz is having a hard time finding anyone to trust.

Speaking on the Senate floor Wednesday, the Texas Republican responded to criticism from members of his party over how to move forward with budget negotiations, taking particular aim at Sen. John McCain.
"The senior senator from Arizona urged this body to trust the Republicans. Let me be clear, I don't trust the Republicans. And I don't trust the Democrats," Cruz said. "And I think a whole lot of Americans likewise don't trust the Republicans and the Democrats because it is leadership in both parties that has gotten us in this mess."

That mess would be the federal debt, which members of both parties agree is too high. The agreement ends when discussing how to reduce it – Republicans favor sharply reducing spending, while Democrats argue for increasing tax revenue.

Under what is termed "regular order" on Capitol Hill, the two chambers each pass annual budgets, which are then negotiated in bicameral discussions. But since the House and Senate haven't both passed budgets in the same year for four years, that process hasn't been followed.

This year, both the GOP-led House and the Democrat-led Senate passed budgets, though they are widely disparate in terms of new tax revenue and government spending.

Some Republicans, like Cruz and Sen. Rand Paul, oppose beginning House and Senate negotiations on the budget until Democrats agree not to demand an increase in the federal debt limit.

McCain, along with moderate GOP Sen. Susan Collins, questioned that stipulation on the Senate floor, saying the demands were unreasonable.

"We put requirements on the conferees that are absolutely out of line and unprecedented," McCain said Tuesday.

But Cruz argued that a budget conference where Democrats insisted on raising the debt ceiling would eventually lead to more spending.

"Every Republican who stands against holding the line here is really saying, let's give the Democrats a blank check to borrow any money they want with no reforms, no leadership to fix the problem. I don't think that's consistent with any of our responsibilities," Cruz said.

Republicans, he continued, shared the blame with Democrats for presiding over runaway government spending.

"Unfortunately one of the reasons we got into this mess is because a lot of Republicans were complicit in this spending spree, and that's why so many Americans are disgusted with both sides of this House," he said.

It's not the first time McCain has pitted himself against Cruz and Paul. The 2008 GOP presidential nominee labeled the duo "wacko birds" earlier this year, not long after Paul's almost-13-hour filibuster protesting the use of drones. Cruz had joined Paul in demanding that the Obama administration answer questions about its drone policies.

And McCain similarly rebuked Cruz for some of his questioning during the nomination hearings for Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.

soundoff(13 Responses)

Aaaaw, how cute...he's trying to establish his "maverick" bona fides for 2016. Will McCain be issuing him a maverick merit badge? How soon before we're looking at an article about Jabberwocky Barbie lauding his maverickiness?

The real story isn't this fake narrative of Cruz criticizing everyone. The REAL story is that he and others of the GOP/Teatrolls are blocking the regular order of conferencing on the budget and demanding that they get to have everything they want BEFORE it gets conferenced. You know, the "regular order" they've been demanding for 4 years?He literally wants the rules of negotiation to say that the GOP/Teartolls "win" and only then will they negotiate (as if there's anything left to negotiate at that point). For example, he demands that the debt limit can't be raised as part of the budget negotiations or he'll block those negotiations. It's absurd, unprecedented, an abuse of power and primarily an attempt to keep the debt limit from being raised as part of budget conferencing so that they can take it hostage again sooner rather than later, manufacture another crisis with it as another big distraction and a means of hampering economic recovery.

May 22, 2013 04:15 pm at 4:15 pm |

Al-NY,NY

yeah, and when he approves of something Obama does, the earth will stop spinning

May 22, 2013 04:18 pm at 4:18 pm |

Sniffit

"But Cruz argued that a budget conference where Democrats insisted on raising the debt ceiling would eventually lead to more spending."

Which is an easily disproven lie. THE DEBT CEILING MUST GO UP TO PAY FOR SPENDING THAT ALREADY OCCURRED. Thanks for sweeping that fact under the rug to fabricate your false equivalencies, CNN.

May 22, 2013 04:19 pm at 4:19 pm |

Bill

Cruz is a loud-mouthed buffoon and an embarrasment to the US Senate. Keep talking Teddy, you only reinforce the image most Americans have of the GOP (which is decidely negative – well 29% approve). I just hope he keeps running his mouth into the 2014 mid-terms.

May 22, 2013 04:19 pm at 4:19 pm |

Dutch/Bad Newz, VA -aka- Take Back The House -aka- No Redemption Votes

"And I think a whole lot of Americans likewise don't trust the Republicans and the Democrats because it is leadership in both parties that has gotten us in this mess."
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So we're supposed to embrace you & your radical ideology with open arms? Ha!!! Give it up Rafael de Canada. Establishment republicans can't stand you and democrats think you're Joe McCarthy incarnate.

May 22, 2013 04:25 pm at 4:25 pm |

Lynda/Minnesota

"When it comes to finding ways to reduce the federal debt, Sen. Ted Cruz is having a hard time finding anyone to trust."

Oh, cry me a river, CNN.

May 22, 2013 04:26 pm at 4:26 pm |

just sayin

Al-NY,NY
yeah, and when he approves of something Obama does, the earth will stop spinning
-–

no... the earth will stop spinning when obama actually does something to govern this country. from all reports of his underlings, he has absolutely no clue what is happening.

May 22, 2013 04:26 pm at 4:26 pm |

Sniffit

"When it comes to finding ways to reduce the federal debt, Sen. Ted Cruz is having a hard time finding anyone to trust."

Democrats will stil hate him not only because that their nature but because he's not part of their radical liberalism.

May 22, 2013 05:06 pm at 5:06 pm |

Jules

Who cares who Cruz trusts and who he doesn't – the question is, is he trustworthy? So far I haven't heard anything out of his mouth that I agree with so I don't trust him much.

May 22, 2013 05:18 pm at 5:18 pm |

truth hurts but reality bites

Cruz is right. McCain has been there and helped contribute to the financial mess. McCain needs to sit down and shut up because everytime a "compromise" is made with the Democrats, the government gets bigger along with our debt. The insanity of doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results must end.